Speakers from a diverse pool of institutions will share their experiences, solutions, and best practices in a variety of areas such as collections, payment processing, new technologies, compliance, and customer service. An active exhibit area allows participants easy access to more than 20 service providers. As always, opportunities are offered throughout the program to network with colleagues, speakers, and exhibitors.

PRE-CONFERENCE PROGRAM: This pre-conference is designed for those new to the business office, student financial services, or the higher education workplace, or those who just want a refresher on the core responsibilities of the student accounts area. Note: A separate registration and additional fee ($129 member, $219 non-member) is required to attend this pre-conference program. You can register by selecting "Register Now" above. The program will run from 8:30 am- 3:00 pm. Lunch will be provided.

Interested in Sponsoring or Exhibiting?

Email LaTosha McNeal at lmcneal@nacubo.org or call 202.861.2582 for sponsorship and exhibiting information.

Who Should Attend

Bursars

Controllers and Business Officers

Financial Advisers

Financial Aid Administrators

Integrated Services Staff

Student Financial Services Directors

Student Loan Managers

What You'll Learn

Learn how to lead change, manage staff, and illustrate how to work cooperatively across offices.

Recognize ways to increase efficiencies and improve services to students.

Learn about the latest regulatory and policy changes and assess how they may impact your institution.

Fees

Schedule

Sunday, March 11

8:30 AM

PRE-CONFERENCE PROGRAM: Bursar Fundamentals

Speaker(s):DeAhn Baucom, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillDoug Schantz, Wittenberg UniversityKimberly Wagner, Elgin Community College

This pre-conference is designed for those new to the business office, student financial services, higher education workplace, or those who just want a refresher on the core responsibilities of the student accounts area.

NOTE: A separate registration and additional fee ($129 member, $219 nonmember) is required to attend this pre-conference program. You can register by selecting "Register Now" above. The program will run from 8:30am-3:00pm. Lunch will be provided.

1:30 PM

Registration and Exhibit Hall Open

2:00 PM

Navigating the Change to 1098-T Reporting

Speaker(s):Anne Gross, NACUBO

This is the year when the rubber hits the road: all schools must report amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses in Box 1 on the 1098-T for 2018 forms. In the absence of new substantive guidance from IRS, schools are faced with several decision points. Are you ready? Bring your questions—and your answers—to this interactive session. *Note that this session is offered twice.

3:00 PM

Welcome and Opening Remarks

3:15 PM

Washington Update

Speaker(s):Liz Clark, NACUBOBryan Dickson, NACUBO

We are one year into the Trump administration and midterm elections are just around the corner. Will we see a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act this year? What new regulations are being promulgated? NACUBO’s government relations team will share what’s happening in Washington—both on the Hill and at the federal agencies—that might impact your office and your campus.

4:45 PM

Collection Best Practices

Speaker(s):Janet Burkhardt, University of DenverErica Manuel, University of Colorado at Denver

In need of new ideas for your institution? In this interactive session, you will learn about best practices to increase collections from both students and sponsors. Audience input will be encouraged, so come ready to share what works at your campus. In addition to ideas from different schools you will discover best practices and better methods for student and sponsor outreach, as well as how and what to report to campus leadership.

4:45 PM

Leveraging Relationships to Develop a Robust, Campus-wide Financial Literacy Program

Speaker(s):Kelly Takahashi, Stanford University

Developing a financial literacy program that will impact students during their university careers and throughout their lives requires the dedication and focus of students, faculty, and staff from varied offices across campus. Identify key criteria for developing successful financial literacy programs on campus. You will review ways to overcome common obstacles to implementation, while understanding successful ways to engage students, staff, faculty, and outside leaders to support and build such programs.

Speaker(s):Raymond Kimmel, University of Cincinnati Main CampusNicole Morgan, University of Cincinnati Main Campus

As the result of a program review, the University of Cincinnati added a full-time compliance officer to the bursar’s office. In the midst of ever changing federal, state, and institutional rules, the position has grown to two FTEs and the office tackles a myriad of potential compliance issues using monthly internal audits, viable policy and procedures, and ongoing staff feedback. Gain a fresh perspective on the need for constant and continuous review of practices and procedures as you evaluate the effectiveness of your compliance practices.

Over the past ten years, the roles of student affairs professionals have become significantly more complex. Serious issues such as sexual violence, campus protests, issues of race and gender identity, mental health concerns, Greek life and substance abuse have become central to their work. Other themes around degree attainment for low-income, first-generation and students of color and the need to improve career readiness for students require effective campus-wide partnerships. This session will explore this wide range of critical and very public issues that student affairs professionals face on campus.

Join us as we focus on student relationships that the bursar offices can build and maintain. Hear how a four-year state school began reaching out to students around campus, instead of in their office. Then hear how a community college is building relationships with their new students by immersing them into their community before school even starts as well as with an all-year mentoring program. Bring and share successes you may have had building and maintaining relationships on your campus. Students really do like when we say hello and see them on campus.

9:40 AM

Navigating the Change to 1098-T Reporting

Speaker(s):Anne Gross, NACUBO

This is the year when the rubber hits the road: all schools must report amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses in Box 1 on the 1098-T for 2018 forms. In the absence of new substantive guidance from IRS, schools are faced with several decision points. Are you ready? Bring your questions—and your answers—to this interactive session. *Note that this session is offered twice.

Review best practices used to introduce, improve, and conquer Payment Card Industry compliance awareness on your campus. Tactics, checklists, and questionnaires to prepare for campus audits will be discussed, as well as an examination of the various personnel roles to include for the effort to be successful. Finally, learn how one institution manages fraud detection and how your campus can implement methods and tools to prevent fraudulent activity.

10:45 AM

Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall

11:20 AM

Creating a Successful Student Employee Program

Speaker(s):Leena Abonasser, University of California, San DiegoFranklin Garrett, University of California, San DiegoGayle Ta, University of California, San Diego

Explore one institution’s philosophy on leveraging student talent. Review various ways to engage students beyond transactional work and learn about student employee tools that can be adopted at your institution. You will also hear first-hand from a former student employee about how student financial services enhanced her college experience.

Colleges and universities nationwide are facing challenges as the number of high school graduates decreases. Our offices are pressured to turn deposits into enrollments. Combine that with a focus on budgets and the ever-present call to justify staffing levels, and we are left needing a solution. Hear how two institutions have maintained service levels and decreased costs while maintaining an elevated level of customer service. This interactive discussion will focus on automation, task-sharing with other departments, and partnering with vendors.

Every year, the Department of Education publishes its top 10 compliance findings from audits and program reviews. While some of the items have changed over time, others remain the same year after year. Some of these findings come with hefty fines or liabilities. Understanding where the common compliance errors lie may help your school improve its operations and reduce its own financial findings in an audit or program review.

12:25 PM

Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

1:30 PM

The ABCs of Effective LeadershipSpeaker:Beverly Tatum

The ABCs - affirming identity, building community, and cultivating leadership in a pluralistic context - are three critical components that every campus leader should understand in order to lead effectively in a diverse community.

Do you have a great working relationship with your financial aid office or do you face challenges trying to work together? Explore the working relationships between these two offices and take a look at the differences we have while discussing ideas for improvement. We will review the roles of each office and how they impact each other in our day-to-day operations. Come prepared to have a hearty discussion and share your ideas, practices, and tips that can lead to a strong working relationship with both departments.

NACUBO’s Student Financial Services Benchmarking initiative is entering its tenth year, and has grown to almost 400 participating institutions. Join a discussion on the survey results and how to use them on your campus. You will also be able to share your suggestions for improving the survey.

3:25 PM

The Magic of Project Management

Speaker(s):Janet Burkhardt, University of Denver

Not all institutions are equipped with the wizardry skills needed to integrate new processes seamlessly into their organizational structure. Learn how University of Denver channeled their inner Hogwarts to implement a student health insurance process using successful project management strategies. Attendees of this session can expect to take away organizational tips, project implementation strategies, and ideas for continued project analysis. Please be advised, no “real” magic will be used during the session.

Student Financial Services operations maintain hundreds, if not thousands, of figures and calculations. Having a management dashboard at your fingertips and numbers you can recite on a moment’s notice can give you an "elevator speech" when you bump into the CFO. Learn how to identify the most important metrics and how to effectively display and decipher the data. Walk away able to lead discussions with staff, colleagues, and senior management on the importance of metrics

What will student retention look like for fall? Will AR accounts be paid by the winter term? Will all students leave your school with a diploma? Do your students have a plan to pay their student loans when separated? Hear from three different institutions to find out how they manage student success in the bursar’s office. Find out what type of metrics you can collect to track financial wellness success. Additionally, hear about processes that can prepare students for success, both while they are in school and after their exit.

Maybe it’s not a national disaster. Maybe it’s state budgets and funding; maybe it’s a health concern, data breach, or something else impacting or changing your way of doing business and providing customer service. Are you and your team prepared? Enjoy open dialogue with institutional representatives who have had to evaluate their campus processes, adjust on the fly, and communicate those changes to their students.

Tuesday, March 13

7:00 AM

Networking Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall

8:00 AM

Legal Issues in Collections

Speaker(s):Chad Echols, The Echols Firm, LLC

Get a comprehensive look at the legal issues facing debt collection in higher education. There are many new cases, class action issues, bankruptcy law developments, and other important legal trends impacting colleges and universities that will be shared in a meaningful and enjoyable way. You should leave this session with a stronger understanding of legal challenges and opportunities that impact the ability to recover your outstanding student debt portfolios.

9:25 AM

Accounts Receivable Performance Metrics and Collections

Speaker(s):Ilia Moldavski, Brandman University

Hear how a 2017 NACUBO Innovation Award winner monitors, analyzes, and improves accounts receivable and collections through technological solutions, analytical efforts, and shifting focus. Identify meaningful AR metrics and indicators while reviewing various controls, measures, and best practices for minimizing preventable balances for student receivables. Collections models and tips, workflows, and examples of proactive data integrity check will also be shared.

9:25 AM

Hitting Refresh on Scholarship Management

Speaker(s):Ken Downs, University of ArizonaRebekah Salcedo, University of ArizonaJustin Topliff, CampusLogic

State budget cuts, time-consuming scholarship management processes, and a disjointed search process led one institution to throw everything related to scholarships out the window and hit refresh. Today, a proactive matching algorithm drives relevant funding opportunities to students’ smartphones. More than 65 departments and units seamlessly manage scholarships with differing requirements all from one portal. Hear how more than 30,000 students earned over $6 million in external scholarships through the new process in the 2016-17 school year.

9:25 AM

The Impact of "Free" Tuition

Speaker(s):Olivia Kynard, Holyoke Community CollegeKathy Meloon, SUNY Genesee Community College

Hear from bursars from two community colleges about efforts their states are taking to make college possible for more students. The Excelsior Scholarship, introduced in New York for the Fall 2017 semester, is the first in the nation to offer a tuition-free degree program to families making up to $125,000. In 2016, Massachusetts implemented a freeze on tuition rates including a 10 percent rebate for students attending public institutions. Learn how both programs work, eligibility requirements for students, and the reality of implementation in student financial services offices.

10:30 AM

Refeshment Break in the Exhibit Hall

11:00 AM

Emerging Best Practices for Disclosing and Managing Tuition Refunds

Speaker(s):John Fees, GradguardMichael Reynolds, Auburn University

The rapid growth of student medical conditions has increased the financial risk to academic institutions. Discover innovative approaches used by schools to disclose their refund policies to each student, verify compliance with Department of Education guidelines and HIPAA, and reduce the costs of medical withdrawals to their institutions and the students they serve by providing students a choice to enroll in new forms of tuition insurance.

11:00 AM

Improving Cashiering Staff and Incorporating Better Technology

Speaker(s):Bethany Welsh, Augusta University

Enhance your overall customer impact and image by improving the way you recruit for cashiering positions to find staff members who are perfect for their roles. Job descriptions, hiring standards, office needs, organizational goals, and salary levels will be covered. Additionally, review technology improvements that can support cashiering positions, bringing the improvements full circle for customers.

Hotel

Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista - Disney Springs

Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista at Disney Springs Area is located in the Walt Disney World Resort and within walking distance to Disney Springs. This truly amazing place has an eclectic mix of unique boutiques, one-of-a-kind eateries and jaw-dropping entertainment. There are four fascinating neighborhoods filled with so much to discover.

RESERVATIONS: Call the reservation hotline at 1.800.782.4414 and reference the code "NCB" in order to secure the NACUBO group rate.

Room Rate

Please Note: NACUBO professional development programs are often sell-outs. Please secure air and hotel reservations only after confirmation of registration.

Beware of Room Block Poachers:This is the practice of companies posing as an agent or representative of an association offering hotel reservation services. They may offer a hotel room at a lower cost, and have an official sounding name such as "Exhibition Housing Management". "Poachers" will immediately charge your credit card, sometimes with a "service fee", and in many cases will not make a reservation. Be advised that this is NOT an official service. No attendee should be contacted about hotel reservations except by NACUBO. If someone outside of NACUBO contacts you, we urge you to ignore them and report them immediately to NACUBO.

Doug SchantzDirector, Office of Student Financial ServicesWittenberg UniversitySHOW FULL BIO »
Doug currently serves as the director for the Office of Student Accounts at Wittenberg University. He thoroughly enjoys talking about topics related to paying for college, saving for college, financial literacy, scholarships, financial aid, education loans and just about any subject matter that you can think of related to college expenses. Doug is the founder and editor of the college money blog: CheapScholar.org, a nationally recognized resource that provides families and their students with the financial tools, resources, and knowledge to assist in their pursuit of a college education. CheapScholar.org receives thousands of visitors each month and has established a following of over 10,000 members on Facebook and Twitter. In addition to his efforts with CheapScholar.org, Doug is glad to have the opportunity to share his knowledge and expertise with families and students by volunteering his time to provide “Paying For College” presentations for high schools, foundations, and corporations throughout the Ohio region. As part of his evangelistic approach to college accessibility and affordability, Doug has appeared in Paying For College segments on NBC, radio broadcasts for NPR, cited as a resource in Congressional hearings, and has been quoted in a number of syndicated news outlets including: Money Magazine, New York Times, CNBC, MSN Money, & Yahoo Finance. Doug was also featured in the recent publication of The U.S. News Guide to Paying for College.

Kimberly WagnerExecutive Director, Student Financial Services and Auxiliary EnterprisesElgin Community CollegeSHOW FULL BIO »
Kimberly Wagner is currently the Managing Director of Student Financial Services at Elgin Community College in Elgin, IL. Kimberly came to Elgin Community College (ECC) in 2002 as the grants compliance manager and in 2008 was given the opportunity to become the Managing Director of Student Financial Services. In this role, Kimberly is responsible for the operations and regulatory compliance within the Financial Aid and Student Accounts offices. She also manages ECC’s award winning financial literacy program – Financial Smarts. Prior to Elgin Community College, Kimberly spent several years in corporate and public accounting. Kimberly has her Bachelors of Arts with an emphasis in Accounting from Augustana College, Rock Island, IL and her MBA from Keller Graduate School, Oakbrook, IL. Kimberly is currently pursuing her doctorate in community college leadership from Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI.

Lindsay K WaytAssistant Director of Research and Policy AnalysisNACUBO

Bethany Leigh WelshBursarAugusta University

Program Overview

2018 Student Financial Services ConferenceMarch 11-13, 2018

Fees

Member Regular Registration: $920.00

Non-Member Regular Registration: $1,560.00

Estimated CPEs:15

Sponsors

Payment Options

For online registration NACUBO only accepts Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

CPE Information

NACUBO is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.learningmarket.org.